Tunnel-driving machine.



G. F. SPEER.

TUNNEL DRIVING MAGHINB.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24, 1910.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANoauMm CO..WASIIINKITON. u c.

G. F. SPEER.

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 24, 1910.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET Z 4w' afljljlf 351 lrm v u. II lll ||l||l lll llllll lnhl l uflfl l l wi/tvuwo coLuMmA PLANDUMAVII uv. WASHINGTON, n. C.

G. F. SPEER.

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 24, 1910.

1,072,050. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

6 BHBETBEHEET 3.

cuLUMmA PLANOonAmI co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

G. F. SPEER.

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 24. 1910.

1,072,050. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Fly. 5. W

mu m IIIIHIHU] G. F. SPEER.

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED D120. 24, 1910.

072 050 Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

O '1 o g l O 58 o O O awuewtoo UNITED sTATEs PATENT caries GEORGE F.SPEER, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL TUNNELMACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF COLORADO.

TUNNEL-DRIVING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed December 24, 1910. Serial No. 599,197.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen F. Srnna, acitizen of the United States, residing at Fort l/Vorth, county ofTarrant, and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tunnel-Driving Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in tunneling machines.

In the United States patent to George A. Fowler, No. 891,473, entitledtunnel drivin machine, an apparatus is described which comprises ingeneral a main frame with supporting and driving wheels, a bank ofpneumatic drills presented forwardly from the main frame, an oscillatingdrill block with mechanism for automatically swinging the drills above avertical axis from one side to the other, and a pulsator for supplyingthe operating fluid to the drill actuating means.

The machine forming the subject matter of the present application is ofthe general type set forth in said prior United States patent andembodies the same general principles in simplified form. The inventionresides not only in specific details of novelty but at the same time inthe bringing together into cooperative relation certain elements ofconstruction which when so combined constitute a machine of extremesimplicity and effectiveness.

The apparatus forming the subject matter of the present applicationcomprises a drill head for use in machines of the general type set forthin said prior United States patent. I have shown the same herewith asembodied in a complete machine, the latter having certain novel featureswhich will be set forth and claimed in a divisional application.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of thetunneling machine. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same with parts removed.Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a coupling in a conduit from thepulsator to, the manifold to be hereinafter described, showing the meansfor tightening the packing. Fig. 4: is an elevation showing a portion ofone of the manifolds with the coupling in section to illustrate thesecuring ring by which the coupling is held together. Fig. 5 is a detailplan view of a portion of the gland. F 1g. 6

is a plan View of the automatic feed and reverse mechanism by which thesystem of drills is oscillated upon its vertical axis. Fig. 7 is anelevation of the same. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the oscillatingdrill support, and Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the same.

Referring especially to Figs. 1 and 2, 10 indicates the main frame ofthe machine, 11 the forward supporting wheels and 12 the rear supportingand propelling wheels, the latter being journaled in bearing blocks 13which are vertically adjustable in ways 14 under the control of shafts15 threaded into bearing 16 of the main frame, so that upon rotation ofthe shaft 15 in one direction the bearing blocks 13 will be permitted torise under the weight of the machine and rotation in the other directionwill lower the bearing blocks in the machine. From Fig. 2 it will benoted that two bearing blocks are provided for each wheel and theirrespective controlling shafts have secured to them the gear wheels 17 inmesh with each other, whereby they are caused to move in unison. Theshafts 15 must, therefore, be oppositely threaded in their bearings 16so that they will be raised or lowered in unison. Any suitable means maybe employed to effect the operation of this adjusting mechanism, as forexample, the provision of a squared end 18 on one of the shafts 15, asillustrated in Fig. 1, thus adapting it to manual actuation by means ofa wrench or the like. It will be understood that a precisely similaradjustment mechanism is provided for each of the rear wheels 12 and thatthe two wheels may be adjusted in unison or independently of each other.

Wheels 12 are suitably fixed to the driving axle 19 which has fixedthereon a worm wheel 20 engaging a vertically disposed worm 21 driven byworm wheel 22, which in turn is driven from worm shaft 23 by means ofsprocket wheel 24, chain 25 and sprocket wheel 26 from suitable power27, as for example, pneumatic or electric 1110- tor. It will be apparentthat the operation of the motor 27 thus operates through the connectingmeans described, the worm wheel 20 which being fixed on shaft 19 causesthe rotation of the shaft and its wheels 12 to propel the machineforward or backward.

The main frame 10, as shown in Fig. 1,

has projecting forwardly from it brackets 28 and 29 which are perforatedat their ends to form vertical bearings for the axial pins about whichthe supports for the drill blocks oscillate as will appear. The oscilandhave vertical perforations which are adapted to receive the axial pinsby whichthe support is pivoted in the brackets 28 drills 36 in wellknown manner.

and 29.

cesses at each side arranged in staggered relation for the reception ofthe drill boxes 33, which are shaped to conform with the recesses andheld in place by the retaining slates 34 bolted against the side of thesupport. The drill boxes have piston chambers provided with pistons 35which actuate the Referring to Figs. 1 and 8 it will be observed thatthe drills are arranged on the arc of a circle or in some 7 other for-m,which will provide sufficient clearance for the machine. In Fig. 2 itwill be seen that they are also arranged in two vertical groups which,as will be shown, are actuated alternately by the pulsator.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 37 indicates an electric or other suitableform of motor,

the shaft of which is provided with pinion 38 meshing with the gearwheels 39 and 40 of the .pulsator cylinders 4L1 and 42; The pistons ofthe cylinders 41 and 42 are driven alternately so that during one halfof the cycle one cylinder is compressing above and exhausting below,while the other one is exhausting above and compressing below. Thepulsator cylinders ll and 42 are connected by jointed conduits withmanifolds which distribute the alternate compression and exhaust to thepiston chambers, as illus trated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. Cylinder llhas connected with it upper and lower conduit sections 43 and 44: whilethe cylinder 42 has similarly connected with it the conduit sections 45and 46. These conduit sections terminate in line with the axis uponwhich the drill support oscillates, and at such point of terminationthey are connected by means of a pivotal union with conduit sections 47,48, 49 and 50 which latter lead to the distributer manifolds51, 52, 53and 54. As shown in Figs. 3 and a each of the first mentioned group ofconduit sections is provided at its ends with an interior annular rabbetand an exterior annular flange 55, while the adjacent end-of the sectionto be joined to it isprovided with an inner annular flange 56 which fitsinto the rabbet of the other section and an exterior annular flange 58which incloses The vertical portion 32 of the drill support is providedwith rectangular rethe annular flange 55, and provides space for a bodyof packing 59 and gland 60. The gland and packing are held in place by ahalved retaining ring or colla'r 61 which is securedby bolts 62 andstuds 63 with .nuts 6% to the annular flange 58, the bolts and studspassing through peripheral recesses 65 in the base of gland 60. For thepurpose oftightening the packing the base of the gland 60 is furtherprovided with threaded perforations '66 in which operate thethreadedends of screws 67 which have intermediate flanges 68 seated incountersin'ks in the retaining ring 61. By turning the screws 67 intheir sockets the gland is thereby forced against the packing 59 and anair tight'junction thus obtained. It will;

'be observed that by the construction shown and described the gland 60andretaining ring 61 are fixed tothe movable section of the conduit andhence move with it about the axis of oscillation. V

In order to actuate the two vertical groups of drills alternately, ashereinbefore referred to, it is obvious "that compressed air should beintroduced into the piston chambers behind the pistons in one group atthe same time compressed air is introduced into the piston chambers infront of the pistons in the other group, and vice Versa, when the spacein front of the piston in one group :is supplied with compressed air thespace behind the other group must be supplied with compressed air. Forthis purpose the manifold 5l-is connected by distributer pipes 69 withthe rear end of all the piston chambers at the right hand side of thedrill support, whereas manifold 5a is connected by dis tributer pipes 70with the forward end of all of the piston chambers at theleft hand side.Assuming that at a given time the air in manifold 51'is undercompression, the air in manifold 54 will also be under compression,whereas the air in manifolds 52 and'53 will be exhausted. Manifold 52 isaccordingly connected by distributer pipes7il with the rear end of allthe piston chambers at the left of the drill support, whereas manifold53 is connected by distributer pipes 72 with the forward end of all thepiston chambers at the right. Consequently the drills at the right areadvancing while those at the left are being retracted and vice versa. p

Referring to Eggs. 1, 6, 7 and 8 it will be seen that the arm 31 of thedrill support hasintegral 'therewithor fixed thereto a worm wheelsegment73 which is operated by worm tion, the motor 7 6 is automaticallyreversed as by reversing switch 77 operated by proj ecting fingers 78 ofworm wheel segment 73.

For removing the chippings a scoop or pan 79 is mounted beneath thesystem of drills, from which leads a suction pipe 80.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a drill support having rectangular recesses forthe reception of rectangular drill boxes, a plurality of rectangulardrill boxes with attached drills disposed in said recesses, and meansfor securing the drill boxes in said recesses.

2. The combination of a drill support having a plurality of verticalseries of rectangular recesses, those of one series being in staggeredrelation to those of another, a plurality of rectangular drill boxeswith attached drills disposed in said recesses and means for securingthe drill boxes in place.

3. The combination of a drill support having a vertical series ofrectangular recesses open at one side, a system of rectangular drillboxes with attached drills disposed in said recesses, and securingplates projecting over the edges of adjacent recesses bolted to thedrill support for securing the drill boxes in place.

4. The combination of a drill support having at each side a verticalseries of rectangular recesses, those of one series being in staggeredrelation to those of the other, a vertical series of rectangular drillboxes with attached drills disposed in each of said series of recesses,and retaining plates projecting over the edges of adjacent recesses ateach side of the drill support, and bolted to the drill support forholding the drill boxes in place.

GEO. F. SPEER.

Witnesses:

I'IARRY E. KNIGHT, M. G. CRAWFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

